


conversation hearts optional

by Lake (beyond_belief)



Series: celebrate good times, come on [2]
Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Chocolate, Domestic Bliss, M/M, Other, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:35:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29409177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beyond_belief/pseuds/Lake
Summary: Venom wants to know why there are entire displays of candy in heart-shaped boxes.
Relationships: Eddie Brock/Venom Symbiote
Series: celebrate good times, come on [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2160450
Comments: 7
Kudos: 83





	conversation hearts optional

**Why is the new candy all packaged in heart shapes?** Venom asks, when Eddie stops at a Walgreen's because he needs toothpaste and toilet paper, and they're going right past one today. 

Eddie hadn't noticed, mostly because he has Venom to notice that sort of stuff now. He looks over at the section of the store that's caught Venom's attention and sees the Valentine's Day displays. "Wasn't it just Christmas? Christ, they put this stuff out earlier every year."

 **It is January the twenty-eighth, Eddie,** Venom says. He winds around Eddie's wrist and squeezes gently. **What is this Valentine's Day?**

"Basically an excuse for people in relationships to buy each other expensive candy and go out for overpriced dinners," Eddie grumbles, heading for the oral care section. "I don't remember the details of the saint it's named after, but as with most things, capitalism came along and made it mostly about buying shit."

He pauses. "All right, maybe I'm being too harsh."

**What kind of candy is in the heart-boxes?**

"Chocolates, mostly." Eddie grabs two boxes of the toothpaste they use, since it's on a deal. Now that Venom insists on brushing his teeth as well, they go through it sort of quick. Not that he minds Venom's new oral hygiene routines. 

**Chocolate!** The tendril around Eddie's wrist squeezes again. **Will you buy me chocolate, for this… Valentine's Day?** Venom makes it sound both like he's intrigued and also like he thinks humans having a million holidays that are about buying people stuff is weird. Which it is.

"I might."

**Eddieeeeeee.**

"It's not Valentine's Day yet," Eddie replies, and gets in line for the checkout. He does buy Venom a Hershey bar from the display; he's not _heartless_. 

Heh, heartless. **Your joke is stupid,** Venom mutters, trying to slide tiny thin tendrils into the bag so he can grab the chocolate bar. 

"You're stupid. Stop trying to eat in public."

*

"Are Annie and Dan celebrating Valentine's Day?" Venom asks out loud, manifested as a head only a little smaller than Eddie's, with a rippling collection of tendrils as a neck.

Dan is probably the type to buy roses, but _sincerely_ , not just a last-minute run for whatever's left at the bodega. "I'm sure," Eddie replies, thinking that if he bought Venom roses, the symbiote would probably try to eat them. 

"Only if they were tasty," Venom says, clueing in to his thoughts.

Eddie grins and attempts to open the box the toothpaste came in. He succeeds only in ripping the thin cardboard. He shrugs and rips it the rest of the way off, and drops the mangled pieces into the little bathroom garbage can. "You going to work on brushing your teeth tonight?"

Venom makes a humming sound, looking at his mouth in the mirror. 

"You ate a dude tonight, you should brush," Eddie prods. "I don't want to be still tasting it later."

"We make sure you don't taste any of the human things," Venom grumbles out loud, but he delicately plucks his bright red toothbrush from the holder and extends it for Eddie to squeeze a dollop of toothpaste onto the head. Then he starts brushing up a huge mouthful of foam. 

Eddie does his own teeth, laughing around his brush as Venom extends his head over the sink so all the excess toothpaste foam can drip into the basin and not all over Eddie's shoulder. "You get the back ones and everything?" Eddie asks, after he's rinsed. 

Venom makes another grumbling noise, then reaches a tendril into his mouth. It returns holding a tooth. "I can't believe how many teeth you lose," Eddie says. He was grossed out at first, but has seen Venom lose enough teeth now that he's stopped being bothered. 

**Just make more, Eddie, it is not like human mouths.**

"I know, but still." 

Venom drops the tooth into the little trash basket, then forms the tendril into a cup-shape to swish water around the rest of his teeth. **There. Does Eddie approve?**

"Much better, no human taste." 

**Snack?**

"No! You just brushed!"

Venom grins, then winds himself around Eddie's arm and neck like he thinks he's cute, and nuzzles at Eddie's face. **Was just kidding.**

"Your jokes are bad," Eddie informs him.

**Are not!**

"Bad, they're bad." 

**No!** Venom squeezes, but gently. Then he turns Eddie's arm to look at the watch. **It is time for the diners and dives show, Eddie. Hurry or we will miss it.**

He means _Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives_. Eddie's not sure how Venom got to be obsessed with it, but he is. He insists Eddie keep a list of all the restaurants he wants to try, even though most of them are east of the Mississippi. "You know how to work the TV, you can go watch," Eddie tells him. 

**But I like to watch it with you.**

Eddie melts a little at that. "Yeah, okay."

*

Mrs. Chen's got an entire Valentine's display out the next time they go in. Venom makes Eddie stop and look at it. **Why are there so many different boxes? Is every one a different kind of chocolate?**

"This is pretty basic Russell Stover, dude. Most of the flavors are the same; it's just how many are in a box. We should go to an actual chocolate shop sometime, it'll blow your mind."

Venom's jolt of surprise is strong enough to almost send Eddie staggering (Venom doesn't let him actually stagger, of course). **There are whole stores for chocolate? Why didn't you tell me before now?**

"I thought we were doing good just keeping Mrs. C in business," Eddie whispers back, because Mrs. Chen has finished whatever she was doing behind the counter and is watching them now instead. 

**Will you let me get a box today, Eddie? I've been good.** Venom does the thing where it feels like he's nuzzling up against Eddie, but from the inside. **Have brushed my teeth every day for a week and not complained.**

He's not wrong there. "A small one," Eddie says. "Twelve pieces or less. Otherwise it won't be any fun if someone were to give you a big box on actual Valentine's Day."

 **Someone is buying me chocolate?** Venom asks, before he gets that Eddie is messing with him. **Eddie! Trying to keep secrets!**

"Nah, not really." 

Venom does the soft nuzzling thing again, then starts carefully turning over all the boxes to see what kinds of chocolates are supposed to be inside. There's no one else in the store, so Eddie doesn't reprimand him for all the fluttering tentacles everywhere. Then he sees Mrs. Chen lean over the counter slightly. "Eddie! Does your friend need help picking out candy?"

"I think he's doing all right on his own," Eddie calls back, as Venom moves onto the next shelf to investigate. "I like those cream-center ones, though, Mrs. C - any of these just a mix of those?"

*

"So, what's the verdict?" Eddie asks Venom as they sit on the fire escape, Eddie bundled up against the damp chill but enjoying the fresh air. Eddie's only picked up one chocolate from his box so far, a dark chocolate with strawberry-flavored center, and let it melt slowly on his tongue as he watched Venom hover above his own heart-shaped box, tendrils rippling as the symbiote tries to decide which piece to try next.

Venom's got what looks to Eddie like a toffee in one tendril, and with another two tendrils he's carefully peeling the wrapper from one of the flaked coconut mixed into chocolate things. Never a fan of coconut, Eddie had always avoided those. "We are enjoying trying all the different things," Venom says out loud. He eats the toffee and Eddie hears it crunch in his teeth.

"You pick a favorite?"

"Ones with the chocolate middle." 

That sounds about right for Venom. Tentacles creep towards Eddie's box where it's balanced on his knees, and he gently slaps them away. "It's mine, hey."

**Ours.**

"No," Eddie laughs. " _Mine._ You have your own entire box."

The tendrils inch towards Eddie's chocolates again, slowly, so it's just Venom thinking he's funny and trying to get Eddie all riled up. Eddie pinches lightly at the questing parts of his symbiote - not hard enough to hurt - and curls himself around the box of candy to protect it. Venom laughs in his head. "Stop messing around," Eddie says, trying to twist his chocolates out of the way. "Be good!"

Venom drapes over him like a gooey blanket, amusement radiating strongly, then holds up a dark chocolate-covered square from his own box. **I will share mine with Eddie, that is good,** he says, and Eddie relents immediately. He opens his mouth and lets Venom set the piece on his tongue. Caramel, slightly salty. 

"I guess you can have one of mine," he sighs, when the caramel's all melted. "I think the one in the bottom left corner has the chocolate middle, at least according to the guide on the back."

Tendrils dart in to pluck it from the tray, quickly like Venom thinks Eddie might rescind his offer. Eddie watches the symbiote drop the candy into his sharp mouth. **Mmm, lots of chocolate.**

Eddie rolls his eyes, but still leans in to kiss Venom's face. "You and your chocolate."

**It is delicious. And you won't let me eat bad people every day.**

"That is correct." Eddie peels the wrapper from a maple cream and takes a bite, then lets Venom enjoy the other half.

*

A clatter rouses Eddie from his nap on the couch, and as he blinks awake, he realizes the blob of Venom that was resting on his chest when he fell asleep is no longer there, and he can feel that Venom's not inside their body snoozing on his liver, either. Then he registers the scent of melting cheese - tomato - the particular smell this oven has. "Vee?" he calls, bolting upright, heart pounding.

"Right here, Eddie!"

"What the hell are you doing? Jesus, don't we have rules about the oven?"

He staggers up off the couch and looks at Venom, who's a floating head and a mess of tendrils, some of which are holding plates, his eyes staring back at Eddie. He'd set off the smoke alarm the first time he tried to make some frozen chicken nuggets in the middle of the night, and woken up half the building. So now the rule is that Eddie has to be awake for any and all cooking, and midnight snacks have to be microwave only.

Eddie looks in the oven and sees a frozen pizza on a baking sheet, the cheese just beginning to melt. All the wrappers are in the trash can. Venom must have read at least some of the directions. The temperature is right. Even the timer seems to be on correctly.

"Sorry, Eddie." Venom sets the plates very carefully on the counter. "Wanted to make you dinner for Valentine's Day." 

All of Eddie's anger deflates immediately. "You're making _me_ dinner?"

"Yes. You said Valentine's Day was about food."

Trust Venom to remember the food part of what Eddie said about this pointless holiday. "Oh."

"If Eddie does not want pizza, I will eat it all." Venom winds closer and licks Eddie's cheek. "But would rather share." 

Eddie's still stuck on Venom wanting to cook him dinner _because_ it's Valentine's Day. He lifts a hand and cups Venom's soft, slick cheek. "You really wanted to make me dinner?"

"Yes. All the commercials and greeting cards said Valentine's Day is for love. I love Eddie." He pauses. "I love pizza, but not as much as I love Eddie."

"That's sweet, Vee," Eddie murmurs, pressing a kiss to the symbiote's shiny black surface. "Love you, too." 

Venom preens and sways more of his exposed mass closer to Eddie. Eddie curls his fingers around a bunch of tendrils and squeezes. He feels Venom shiver at that, and a tongue flicks lightly at his ear. **Eddie… is Valentine's Day also for the good touching?**

"Sure can be, babe." Eddie gives him another kiss and squeeze, and feels a little shivery-warm himself. But: patience. Venom's made him dinner, after all, and the savory smell of it is making Eddie's stomach rumble with hunger. He kisses Venom again and adds, "After pizza, because you know if we get distracted something will end up on fire."


End file.
